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305. Sibling Ep – Glasses

“Today’s schedule is all canceled.”

Gilbert Forte clamped his servant’s mouth shut. The servant, who was hastily passing information about a certain Countess attending a ball today, quickly changed his words.

“Oh, you’ve already taken care of that. Understood. Then… you’ll be going to see Lady Clara today, right?”

“No. I said it’s canceled.”

“Uh? Did you already seduce Lady Clara? That’s strange. You shouldn’t have had time for that. Just a moment, then… how about we bring forward the meal you planned with Lady Becca?”

Veins bulged on Gilbert’s forehead. While the servant was knowledgeable about his master’s love affairs and helpful in various ways, right now he just wanted to shut that mouth up. Gilbert said seriously,

“I said it’s canceled! Canceled! I have somewhere else to go today.”

But who was Gilbert, really?

Orvil’s lecherous, the carefree scion of the esteemed Forte family. The servant’s face showed no glimmer of expectation.

It seemed he was thinking of going to a brothel today.

With that thought, the servant silently vanished. However, Gilbert was left behind, neatly dressed.

He usually styled his hair slick, but today was a day he had great expectations for. So did his father.

“Father, I’m ready.”

“Okay.”

Count Hermann Forte, who practically lived in the royal palace, oddly wasn’t attending today.

Just like his son, he dressed neatly and anxiously paced around.

Why is time crawling by? He checked the sunrise several times and scrutinized his son from head to toe.

“You look decent today. Are you practicing your swordsmanship well?”

“…Yes.”

An awkward silence fell.

However, the continent’s only Swordmaster, Count Hermann Forte, could not be stopped. Perhaps perceiving this awkward air as a common morning calm, he began to pressure his late-born son.

“For someone with your aspirations, your physique doesn’t look great. As for chasing after women… Hmph. That aside, you should devote more time to sword training.”

“……Yes.”

Silence settled again.

But Gilbert’s insides were churning.

Did he just say to ‘devote more time’ to sword training? He clenched his softened fists that had once been stiff and crackling.

– “How could you not know this at your age?”

Was it when he was around twelve?

He vividly recalled the sting of embarrassment after asking a seemingly innocent question.

His esteemed father.

Yet, he said nothing to his callous father. A faded sense of hope brushed uselessly between the two men.

Eventually, the time had come.

“Let’s go.”

Count Hermann Forte and Gilbert Forte mounted their horses and left the mansion.

Though they didn’t require a guard, four knights followed behind them. Only Gilbert wasn’t armed.

If they left now, they would arrive right on time.

Exiting Orvil, they crossed the plains. After riding without a break from early morning until around midday, a procession revealed itself ahead of them.

Countless flags depicted ‘water droplets.’

It was the procession of the First Prince of Aisel Kingdom, Vivian de Isadora. The father and son duo of Hermann and Gilbert adjusted their disheveled clothing in the wind.

Blocking the path while marching would have been a grave offense, but their timing corresponded to lunchtime.

As it happened to be mealtime, the guests halted their steps and lowered their flags.

The Count prepared to identify himself and hurriedly sought the prince. Of course, they hadn’t come to meet him.

“Pleasure to meet you, Prince Vivian de Isadora. Welcome to the Belita Kingdom.”

Vivian replied with something. However, Hermann and Gilbert could not focus on the prince.

Their eyes were drawn to a graceful middle-aged woman who had just stepped out of the carriage.

“Mother!”

Two water droplets, Princess Iina de Isadora.

Wearing glasses, a rare sight in this world, she gazed at her son with murky gray eyes and smiled.

“My son.”

Gilbert, adept in etiquette, embraced his mother. Iina, filled with affection, patted her son’s back.

She then greeted Count Forte.

“Dear, it’s been a while.”

“…Indeed, it has.”

The divorced husband stood with his arms crossed, as he always did.

It was the reason they had parted, but today it seemed less cruel. A shy anticipation lingered around their clasped hands.

She had something to request too.

“You look wonderful.”

At that moment, Vivian de Isadora clapped his hands to garner attention.

Only then did they notice the prince, a remarkably robust young man.

Count Forte thought he must be an exceptional swordsman. Unlike some pitiable son from a different house.

Vivian addressed Princess Iina de Isadora.

“Auntie, shall I prepare a meal separately for you? It seems rude for me to intrude on a family gathering.”

“Oh dear, no! Nephew, that would indeed be quite rude of us. Please eat with us.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It may seem ridiculous for a guest to request a meal from the host, but it would be an honor if you join us.”

Count Forte chimed in. The prince responded with a hearty laugh.

“Haha! Then let’s all eat together. In fact, I have a guest I’d like to introduce. Although I haven’t met him yet, I’m sure you’ll be surprised. Ah, Auntie, you might have met him before.”

“Who has come to welcome us? I’m curious to see who it could be after such a long time in Orvil.”

“Yes. Ah! Over there, he’s coming.”

Following Prince Vivian’s gaze, Hermann, Gilbert, and Iina turned their heads.

Not very tall but with a dignified gait.

A finely tailored dark red suit proclaimed him a great noble. The two who weren’t Gilbert and Prince Vivian furrowed their brows.

“Marquis Tatian!”

What are you doing here? Count Forte bit back his words.

‘So, he is the guest the prince mentioned.’

Certainly shocking, but his assumption was wildly off the mark.

A stunningly handsome young man with azure hair followed the marquis.

At that moment, Iina cheerfully exclaimed.

“Oh my! It’s you, Marquis Tatian? It’s been such a long time!”

“Yes. Glad to see you, Princess Iina. However, I shouldn’t be the one to greet first.”

“Why not?”

“Um… Auntie, there is another person here. Might I ask for an introduction, Marquis?”

“…Sure.”

With a perplexed look, Princess Iina de Isadora was introduced by Marquis Tatian to the heir of the Aisel Kingdom.

The azure-haired young man stepped forward.

“This is Prince Lean de Yeriel.”

Thought to have died over ten years ago.

Surprise passed through everyone. Yet, no one was as shocked as Princess Iina, who excitedly exclaimed, “Oh my! Oh dear heavens!” as she celebrated the unexpected arrival of her nephew, previously thought lost to her.

Gilbert frowned.

*

When high-ranking individuals gather in one place, the underlings become busy. The Chamberlain who followed Prince Vivian de Isadora was deep in thought.

Who ranks highest among them?

Clearly, the owner of the procession and the kingdom’s heir, Prince Vivian de Isadora.

However, the dilemma became complicated with the emergence of another prince.

One side is the unchallenged direct heir of the Yeriel family (despite being dethroned), and the other is the disputed heir of Aisel Kingdom.

In the Aisel Kingdom, where Vivian and Oscar, the two princes, are in conflict, the true heir remains undecided.

However, seating a guest in the honored position raised real issues. Lean de Yeriel is a deposed prince.

Delving deeper raises many considerations. If a ceremonial official were pondering this rather than the Chamberlain, they would have wasted time unfolding family trees right away.

They would likely be comparing which of the Isadora or Yeriel families had closer ties to the Acaia imperial bloodline.

But the Chamberlain was practical, and he found a good solution.

Ultimately, the seat of honor at the dinner was designated for Princess Iina de Isadora. They interpreted it as a meeting of close relatives rather than a confrontation between the two princes.

Thus, as the elder relative and the aunt to both princes, Princess Iina logically held the higher status. Fortunately, the princes seemed to have no objections to the Chamberlain’s interpretation. The only headache was…

“This seating arrangement is quite pleasing.” ─ The snickering Marquis Tatian.

He was seated opposite Princess Iina de Isadora, flanked by the two princes on either side, with her on his ‘left.’

Count Hermann Forte was assigned to the opposite, ‘right’ side of the princess.

Traditionally, the left side is regarded for strategists, while the right belongs to warriors.

In truth, there is no elevation in direction.

Distance from important figures is what matters.

However, (if the distance is equal) there has been a long-standing custom that values the left seat higher.

Warriors may be many, but strategists usually are not.

Thus, after seating the warriors in order on the right, nobles including strategists took the left, solidifying the perception that the left was a seat of honor.

In other words, the Chamberlain had assessed Count Hermann, ‘Earl,’ as beneath Marquis Benard, ‘Marquis.’

Furthermore, Count Hermann Forte, being a Swordmaster, should have been comfortably seated to Princess Iina’s right (the warriors’ position) according to the Chamberlain’s rationale…

At least in the Belita Kingdom, that was the case.

In the Belita Kingdom, the Swordmaster faction had firmly established dominance and claimed the left side of the castle relative to the king. With military power in their grasp, Count Forte could have freely moved between both sides.

No matter how much Marquis Benard Tatian disliked appearances without substance, it was an unpleasant situation.

Thus, Marquis Tatian smirked while his long-time rival, Count Hermann Forte, frowned. It was an embarrassing sight before his wife he hadn’t seen in a long time.

At the long rectangular dining table, separated by two segments from their mother seated centrally, Gilbert also frowned. The pair of father and son were easily distinguishable as both carried similar expressions.

Princess Iina burst into a chuckle.

“Indeed. I truly find it lovely that my husband and son are seated together. Marquis Tatian, how have you been? It’s been ages since we dined together.”

Soothing the discontented with complaints was not the job of the Chamberlain but the obligation of the highest-ranking individual present.

Princess Iina would calm her husband and son’s grievances while concurrently requesting the Marquis to refrain from such behavior due to sentimental reasons.

Fortunately, the Marquis responded,

“Dining together… yes. It’s certainly been a while since I’ve shared a meal with anyone.”

He looked up at the canopy with a strange expression, not taking a single morsel of food.

While it could be impolite to leave food uneaten, in this world, frequently poisoned food made it acceptable. Nonetheless, his excessively cautious actions prompted frowns, making Princess Iina shift the topic.

To something more refreshing for them.

“How did you manage to bring Prince Lean de Yeriel with you? I would love to hear from the Marquis, and I want to ask the prince as well.”

“Hahaha! Am I someone who can bring such a figure? It was a privilege as he personally sought me out. With a wedding invitation in hand.”

“Oh? Are you getting married?”

“No, it’s an engagement. You’ll be quite surprised to know who the lucky lady is who has caught this delightful nephew.”

“Who is she, that fortunate woman to have captured this splendid nephew?”

The Marquis glanced sideways at Lean.

Wondering if he could speak for himself, he sought consent, and Lean calmly nodded. The relationships among those gathered here seemed rather byzantine.

“Lady Ksenia. Ksenia Peter.”

“Oh my! Edlyn’s?”

Lean quietly observed.

Delightedly calling upon Edlyn Peter so casually, his aunt, and the strangely friendly Marquis Tatian, who had since divorced her, plus Count Forte and his son Gilbert, as well as Prince Vivian de Isadora…

The true protagonist of this Aisel Kingdom entourage, who fumbled their historical path up north, was not Prince Vivian.

It was Iina de Isadora.

Lean perceived her as the central figure among everyone gathered here.

[ Achievement: Meeting Vivian de Isadora – Gained slight favor among all nobles serving the Isadora family. Gained slight favor from Vivian de Isadora. ]

He now understood that information like this was far more crucial than the surging achievement itself. He was familiar with her murky gray eyes.